Dented automobile bodies are a very common problem and one to which a great deal of time and effort is spent. For many years, body repairmen have used a tool called a slap hammer for removing dents from car and truck bodies. Slap hammers have a point which engages the body panel usually by screwing it into a small hole which has been previously drilled. The slap hammer has a very heavy weight which is slidable upon a strong shaft connected to this threaded point. The body repairman hammers the weight outwardly to pull the fender back into shape. U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,699 to Logsdon shows a typical type of slap hammer which is provided with a biscuspid rather than threaded engagement point. U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,042 to Servin et al discloses another slap hammer which has been specially adapted to be driven by a pneumatic wrench.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,902 to Jarman shows a dent removal device. The Jarman dent remover has a threaded engagement point which is manually screwed into the body panel usuing a handle wheel. The dent remover also includes a piston which slides within a cylinder. Compressed air is used to drive the piston backwardly to create the pulling force. Compressed air also drives the piston towards the front of the tool to engage a ball and socket arrangement which holds the piston near the front of the cylinder.
The current invention is directed to providing a durable, self contained unit which can very quickly and easily remove dents with a minimum of effort by a body repairman. The invention also provides a very safe tool which has a completely enclosed hammering weight and which can be very easily handled by body repairman. These and other objectives of the invention will be more fully disclosed in the description given below.